Justin Pugh likes to linger in the locker room as long as he can before the start of games.

The initial rush, that moment when the crowd and the lights meet the player for the first time, was never something he was interested in. Most of his teammates liked to jump around and smash their helmets together.

Pugh liked to wander out on his own.

"I was always the last guy out," the Giants’ rookie right tackle said. "All the guys get all jacked up. Ever since my freshman year, I let all those crazy guys get out there, jump around and go nuts in front of the fans. I kind of like to go out there and be focused in."

Some might mistake that for passivity, a quality that rarely serves an NFL offensive linemen well. Pugh, with his friendly suburban Philadelphia accent and penchant for burying his head in a playbook, will give off that vibe.

But those who have seen him once he leaves the locker room feel differently.

"There’s definitely a switch that flips on game day," Ryan Nassib, Pugh’s teammate at Syracuse, said. "He’s one of the nicest guys off the field and then, you know, he turns into a mean football player."

The first official start for the No. 19 overall pick in the NFL Draft will come in the league’s most expensive stadium in prime time. His first matchup may be against the Cowboys’ DeMarcus Ware, although the feared pass rusher is most frequently lining up against the left tackle. Dallas’ George Selvie and Anthony Spencer are not bad, either.

His first result will come in a divisional matchup and his first missed assignment will be magnified more than ever.

In the time it takes him to linger out of the tunnel, there’s plenty to think about.

"I think every game is the biggest game," Pugh said. "This is obviously the biggest one in my career so far."

Nassib and Pugh both agreed that Pugh’s demeanor changes with the first hit. Something inside him shifts. It’s noticeable enough that Nassib was more than comfortable having him protect his blind side in college.

Against the Jets in the preseason, Pugh’s first preseason start this year, he could be seen trying to hold a block on outside linebacker Calvin Pace while his running back was almost 30 yards away, sprinting toward an 84-yard touchdown.

According to Pro Football Focus, an analytical site, he was responsible for just one hit on the quarterback in 114 preseason snaps.

"Before the game, you feel it in your stomach, you feel like you want to throw up," Pugh said. "But once you hit somebody, you feel a lot better."

The wait will be long enough. The Dallas game is the final one on Sunday night. With the time difference, it will feel even longer.

Pugh plans to shut his phone off in the interim and focus his mind. David Diehl, whose injury gave way to Pugh’s emergence in the starting lineup, has been mentoring him in the meantime and sees his ability to pick up on the details and sharpen his focus.

He’ll do his best to get a good night’s sleep and watch a little more film. Everything else can be worked out during the wait inside the visitor’s locker room, or after the first hit.